Poor Singing and Christmas Lights
by A Fire in the Attic
Summary: Five times Stiles and the pack invaded Derek's apartment to decorate for Christmas and pretended Stiles couldn't sing. 25 Days of Ficmas.


**Prompt: Carols**

**Word Count: 1566**

**Pairing: Sterek, Scallison, Jydia**

**Poor Singing and Christmas Lights**

* * *

Stiles was really bad at singing.

Scott hardly seemed to notice, just bobbing his head in time with the music that Stiles had playing quietly on his laptop while he helped him string up lights in Derek's new apartment.

Jackson, at least, looked annoyed, and told Stiles multiple times to, "Stop singing. You're louder than the music."

Isaac hovered in uncertainty, eyes going from Stiles to Derek. When he finally reacted, it was just to turn up the music and take another string of lights from Stiles.

Lydia just filed her nails and hummed. At one point, she started singing along.

Stiles looked pleased—in fact he actually modulated until he and Lydia were singing in harmony.

Derek felt a mix of jealousy and irritation at that. Obviously Stiles was singing off key Christmas carols _on purpose_, presumably to annoy everyone, but Lydia could still rein him in to normalcy.

He didn't think about why he was jealous of the redhead.

* * *

Derek shouldn't have been surprised when the pack showed up to decorate his apartment the following year. Erica and Boyd had returned and Peter didn't leave his room, which made it easier for him to deal with.

This time Stiles had a tree. No one asked where he'd gotten it, and Derek actually entertained the idea that Stiles had conjured it out of midair. Or maybe grown it in his backyard.

But no, it was just a pre-lit artificial tree. But it was still more than he'd had since he was sixteen, and he couldn't be upset about that.

Stiles played Christmas carols on his laptop, and did the same warbling, off-key singing he'd done the year before.

Scott actually laughed when he hit a particularly sour note, but just like the year before, he was regarding Stiles fondly.

Jackson didn't even bother comment and Isaac just turned the music up as loud as it would go without the internal debate this time. Which made sense, as Scott-and-Stiles had expanded into Scott-and-Stiles-and-Isaac. It was nice, Derek decided.

He regarded the singing boy a little fondly, glad that he'd made Isaac smile in a way that wasn't bloodthirsty, even if it was an assault on his ears.

Lydia didn't jump in with singing this time, instead snapping at the boys to leave the tree to her. When the pack left, it looked like Martha Stewart had attacked his tree with garland, ribbon, and ornaments. They were all gold and red, with little plastic wolf ornaments that actually made Derek chuckle.

* * *

He wasn't sure the pack would be back the next year, since most of them had gone to college. They all kept in touch with him because he was still the alpha, but Stiles had no obligation to them and Derek was pretty sure the Christmas celebration had always been Stiles' thing.

But Stiles showed up, tree and pack in tow.

Erica and Isaac both moved to tackle Derek, and he let them because more than ever, they reminded him of puppies. They laughed and rubbed their faces all over him, holding him tight to the couch.

Boyd came and sat next to them on the floor, pushing his face into Derek's chest. Even Scott and Jackson pushed their hands through Derek's hair.

It was nice and different and he smiled because he hadn't had people this close to him since his family had been alive.

"Come on, pups," Stiles called teasingly from the corner where he'd set up the Christmas tree in record time. "We have lights to hang."

Everyone hurried over to him, leaving Derek sprawled on the couch wondering why he didn't mind either the puppy pile, for lack of a better word, or Stiles taking it away from him. Derek regarded the pack moving around each other and Stiles setting up the laptop and starting in on this year's rendition of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen."

He was still pretending he couldn't sing, but no one was annoyed now. Erica joined him, singing in a completely different but still wrong key.

Stiles didn't modulate to harmonize with her and that made Derek actually smile, for some reason.

Then Stiles was waving Derek over and shoving lights into his hand. "Get them as close to the ceiling as possible. You're a tall werewolf; you'll figure it out."

He spent the rest of the afternoon pushing thumbtacks into the wall and trying not to laugh every time Stiles wailed about Last Christmas.

* * *

The next year, Stiles joined in on the puppy pile that ensued when Derek opened his door.

Derek ended up sprawled on the couch again, with Isaac tucking himself against the edge of the couch, clutching Derek so he wouldn't fall off, and Erica on his other side. Boyd ended up somewhere near his feet, just sitting close to the warmth, and Jackson took a seat on the floor, Lydia on his lap, both of their heads resting on Derek's legs.

Stiles pulled Scott over to the pile, climbed right on top of Derek and yanking Scott with him. Stiles' hair hadn't been cut in months and it tickled Derek's chin and neck.

Derek thought he'd never been happier.

* * *

The pack showed up the next year like clockwork (Derek didn't know when he'd stopped saying Stiles-and-the-pack he just knew that it was redundant now). After the five minute puppy pile/scent-marking session, Stiles set them all to work.

Lydia, for once, turned the tree decorating over to Allison, who was dating Scott again, which surprised no one. It was more surprising that it had taken so long for her to agree to go out with Scott again.

Lydia then disappeared, which no one commented on because they'd long ago decided to let Lydia do whatever she wanted.

Stiles was in charge of passing out lights and giving instructions, as usual, and sent everyone around the apartment.

When Derek stood in front of him, Stiles passed him a string of lights and said, "Entryway."

Derek pulled Stiles into a hug because he smelled like Scott, Isaac, and even Allison and that was really nice. Pack smells were the best.

Stiles just hugged him, patted him on the back, and said, "Missed you, too, ya dummy."

Derek shook his head, tugged on Stiles' too long hair (seriously he needed a haircut because his hair was flopping into his eyes like some 2000-era skater boy) and fondly muttered, "Idiot." He hung the lights up and returned to the living room where Stiles was mutilating Silent Night.

Unfortunately, that was Derek's favorite Christmas song, so he couldn't really let that carry on. He thought about trying what Lydia had done that first year—joining in and forcing Stiles back on key, but wasn't sure that would work, so he wrapped an arm around Stiles waist to pull his back against his chest. He covered Stiles mouth with his other hand, and sang quietly in his ear, because Silent Night was supposed to be a lullaby, not a ballad.

Stiles didn't lick his hand, which surprised him, but he wouldn't complain about it.

When the song ended, he made to let Stiles go, but Lydia cleared her throat from behind them. "Nope," she said, pushing Derek back into place.

He looked over his shoulder at her and saw her pointing upward. "You did not hang—" he looked at the ceiling. "You did hang mistletoe."

"Now, kiss," she said, smirking. The rest of the pack was piled up on the couch, even Jackson, who reached out and pulled Lydia into his lap and buried his face in her neck—except his eyes, which he kept on Derek and Stiles.

In fact, all eyes in the room were on them.

Derek was blushing and a quickly look at Stiles indicated that he wasn't alone in that. He was pretty sure Lydia would force him to eat wolfsbane tacos if he didn't kiss Stiles right now, though, so he leaned over and did it (there were no other reasons, seriously).

Stiles kissed him back, very chaste, very quick, but when they pulled apart, Derek thought it had been very nice and kissed Stiles again, a little harder this time. Apparently Stiles agreed, because he managed to involve his tongue this time.

"This is the worst thing that has ever happened to me," Scott announced from the couch, and when Derek stopped kissing Stiles to look at his pack, he saw that Scott had managed to wiggle around in the pile until he was underneath everyone else, face pushed into a pillow.

Stiles nudged him. "He's just embarrassed. I'm like his brother."

Derek smirked. He thought he could deal with Scott being uncomfortable and if it was embarrassing him, well, that was even better. He pulled Stiles into the kitchen while Erica catcalled and Isaac giggle into Boyd's shoulder. Allison cooed and Lydia muttered that it was about time.

Derek thought he'd been wrong about last Christmas, because there was no way he'd been happier than this before, even if Stiles looked 14 with his too long hair. It didn't matter as long as this—the press of heat against his mouth and the tangle of fingers in his hair and the press of hipbones against his thumbs (or maybe it was thumbs pressing into hipbones. It got a little hazy after a while)—never stopped.

* * *

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Teen Wolf.

**A/N**: So this wasn't supposed to turn into a Puppy Piles fic but you know what I am weak and could not withstand the power of cuteness. Written for the 25 Days of Ficmas (link on profile) and _holy crap_ I think I am actually going to finish that. I haven't written this much since I was 14. Thank you for coming along for the ride, dudes and dudettes. Much love.


End file.
